Rolls-Royce lights up Spirit of Ecstasy

Arguably the most famous woman in automotive history has been given a facelift, with the Rolls-Royce ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ bonnet ornament scoring a number of fresh looks for 2013.

The Rolls-Royce Flying Lady mascot, who turns 102 next month, has been through almost a dozen revisions in her life, the latest of which sees her bathed in light for the first time in the UK-based luxury car maker’s production car history.

Customers of 2013 Rolls-Royce Ghost and Phantom models can ask for a translucent polycarbonate Spirit of Ecstasy ornament that is fully illuminable, as well as conventional metallic figurines uplit by a halo of white light.

The illuminated mascot debuted on the electric Rolls-Royce 102EX almost two years ago at the 2011 Geneva motor show, although given Rolls’ decision not to take that concept to production, it has instead made the badge available to buyers.

As an alternative to her traditional stainless steel composition, the statuette can now also be ordered with silver or gold plating, or in solid sterling silver or solid gold.

The new Spirit of Ecstasy ornaments are available on all new Rolls-Royce models and can also be retrofitted to existing cars.

On modern vehicles, the figurine automatically stows itself away into the grille when the car is switched off, protecting the old girl from would-be vandals, and can also be manually lowered by pressing a button hidden in the glove box.

To ensure pedestrian safety is maximised, the ornament also retracts instantly when a collision is detected.